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(No Model.)

' A. J. UPHAM- WIRE TIGHTENER.

No. 332,172. Patented Dec. 8, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW J. UPHAM, OF SYOAMORE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO ABRAM ELLW'OOD, OF SAME PLACE.

WIRE-TIGHTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,172, dated December 8, 1885.

Application filed April 29, 1884. Serial No. 129,793. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LANDREW J. UPHAM residing at Sycam0re,in the county of De Kalb and State of Illinois, and a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wire-Tighteners,of which the following is a full description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which-- Figure 1-is a side elevation; Fig. 2, an edge elevation with the handle in section; Fig. 3, a detail showing thesliding head; Fig. 4, a cross section through the slide ratchet-bar; Fig. 5, a detail showing a movable jaw for the clamp, having a holding-flange.

This invention relates to that class of wiretighteners in which a ratchet -bar, sliding pawls, and operating-lever furnish the power for tightening purposes, and has for its objects to obviate the side strain common to this class of wire-tighteners now in use, to furnish a guide for insuring a straight line of draw on the connecting-rod, and to enable the wire to be clamped and held while the power-producing devices are moved back, in case the first application does not produce the required degree of tautness; and its nature consists in the several parts and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims as new, for attaining the objects sought.

In the drawings, A represents a flat bar, of metal or other suitable material, having on each of its edges 21. series of notches, a, for the ends of the pawls to engage with and cause the pawls to be advanced on the ratchet-bar. The end A of the bar A is turned at right angles, and is provided with a hole for the passage of the rod connecting the pawl-support with the rear wire-clamp.

B is a slide, made of metal or other suitable material, having a longitudinal opening corresponding in shape to that of the ratchet-bar A, on which bar the slide is free to travel. The rear end of this slide B on each side is provided with an ear or extension, I), with a space between the under face of the ears and the face of the ratchet-bar A, and the face of the slide B on the :side corresponding with the turned end A is provided with a raised portion, B, in which is an opening for the end of the rod connecting the slide with the rear wireclamp.

O is a handle or lever, one end of which is forked, the arms 0 of the fork passing on each side of the ratchet-bar A ,and between the ears I) and the ratchet-bar, to which ears the arms of the fork are pivoted by a suitable pin or pivot, 0, so that the arm or lever is free to be moved forward and back. The end of the fork projects beyond the edge of the bar A a sufficient distance to receive a pawl or dog.

D D are the pawls or dogs, each pivoted by a suitable pin or pivot, 0', between the arms 0, to have the pawls come on opposite edges of the ratchet-bar, as shown in Fig. 1, and in such relation with such bar as to have their acting ends d alternately engage the notches a, according as the arm or lever O advances or recedes. The tail d of each pawl is arranged to engage a fulcrum, b, on the edge of the slide and insure the throwing of the acting end (I into engagement with a notch a.

E is a rod, the forward end of which passes through the head B of the slide B, and is held in position by a head, 6. The rear end of this rod is provided with an eye or loop, e, the body of the rod passing through the opening in the guide A on the end of the bar A.

F F is a clamp, the main or body portion F of which is hooked into the eye or loop 6, and is provided with aflange or ledge, f. The movable portion or j aw of this clamp is attached by asuitable pin or pivot, f, to the portion F, and its head is provided with a serrated face, f, which ooacts with the face of the flange f to bite and hold the wire.

G G is a clamp, the stationary portion G of which is in the form of a head or block formed with or suitably attached to the forward end of the ratchet-bar A, and is provided with a flange or rib, g. The movable jaw or portion G is located on the portion G, and is held in place by a suitable pin or pivot, g, and is provided with a serrated face 9, between which and the face of the ribor flange 9 the wire is caught and securely clamped.

H H is a clamp, the stationary part H of which is provided with a rib or flange, h, and the movable jaw or portion H of which is located on the part H, and is secured in place] gaged down by the engagement of the tail of by a pin or pivot, h, and is provided with a serrated edge or face, h, between which and r the flange or rib the Wire can be caught and held.

I I are hooks, one at each end of the part H of the clamp, in one of which the end of a chain is hooked or caught,while the other can be booked in such link of the chain as may be desired.

J is a chain, one end of which is secured in an eye on the head or block G, and the other end has attached thereto the clamp H H by the hook I. The chain is for passing around a fence-post or other stationary object, attaching the wire-tightener to the post or other object when in use.

In construction the slide B is placed on the bar A and the end A of the bar turned to form the guide, and the head G, if separate, is attached to the bar by rivets, or otherwise. The draw-rod E is passed through the hole in the guide A, and its end secured in the head B by a rivet-head, e, or in any other suitable manner. The clamp F F is attached to the end 6, and the chain is attached to the head Gr, with the clamp H H on its other end.

' In operation the stretcher is attached to a fencepost or other stationary object by passing the chain around the post and hooking the hook 1" into a link of the chain. The drawrod is withdrawn to the limit of its backward movement, bringing the head B to the limit backward on the ratchet-bar A, for one of the pawls to engage the rearmost notch of the ratchet-bar. The wire to be drawn taut is caught between the jaws of the clamp F F, and the handle 0 is moved forward and back, which movement, through the pawls D D, advances the head B on the bar A, drawing with it the rod E and tightening the wire. The forward movement of the lever 0 causes the pawl D to engage at its free end with a notch a on that-edge of the bar A, and at the same time advances the pawl D the required distance to have its free end engage the next succeeding notch on that edge of the bar A, and the receding movement of the arm or lever engages the free end of the pawl D with its notch and advances the free end of the pawl D a sufficient distance forward to engage the next succeeding notch on that side of the bar, so that with each movement of the arm or lever one of the pawls will be engaged while the other will be advanced, and so on. This engagement alternately of the pawls D D advances the slide B at each forward and backward movement of the lever. The sliding head B is returned by holding the pawls in such position as to have their acting ends clear the edges of the notched bar. The engagement of the acting ends of the pawls is insured by the fulcrums 1), against which the tail ends of the pawls strike, so that as the movement of the lever is continued in one direction such movement will throw the acting end of the pawl which is to be ensuch pawl with its fulcrum b. The sliding head encircles the notched bar and carries the arm or lever, the pivot of which is in line with the center of the head, and this lever carries the actuating-pawls, and the result of this construction is thatt-he force in use is in a direct line with the center, and not on one side, so that side strain or draw is prevented, as the direction of power must be in a direct line with the bar and the lever through the medium of the sliding head, and by providing a draw-rod, E, which passes through a guide, A, and in direct line with the center of the slide, the force applied is transmitted in a direct line through the draw-rod, and

- such draw-rod is not subjected to side draw,

but is maintained in a direct line of travel.

It oftentimes happens that one advance of the slide B does not draw the wire sufficiently taut, and as heretofore constructed it was necessary to go back and staple the wire down to the last post, and then reset the tightener and proceed over again; but by providing the-- clamp H H the wire can be drawn up to the limit of the movement of the sliding head,

and when such limit is reached this clamp H H can be brought into use, clamping the wire firmly and holding it, while the slide B can be withdrawn to the limit of its movement and the wire again caught by the clamp F F,

and the operation of drawingit taut by ad vancing the head B proceeded with. I

Any other forms of wire-clamps than those .shown can be used, and the clamp on the for- IOO ward end of the ratchet-bar might be a set-' shown a movable jaw for the clamp, having an overhanging flange at its acting end, by-

from slipping or drawing out sidewise.

The ratchet-bar A in cross-section could be some other form of rectangle than that shown, 1 and the form of the slide could be changed" somewhat without interfering with the features of sliding on the ratchet-bar and supporting the arm or lever to have the pawlsv coact with the notches and prevent side strain, and instead of the slide having a secondary head to receive the draw-rod it could be formed to have the draw-rod pass entirely through its body or main portion.

I am aware that a wire-stretcher has been used in which the ratchet-bar is notchedupon means of which flange the wire will be kept" one side only, and the holding-pawls'are. l.

pivoted upon separate slides and have motion alternately. In this apparatus there is no clamp upon the ratchet-bar, nor is the draft rod supported in the end of the bar. I am a ratchet-bar provided with teeth upon its I the draw-rod,a slide moving upon the ratchetopposite edges,a pivoted lever carrying pawls, one upon each side of the ratchet-bar, a connecting-rod, a wire-clamping device carried by said rod, and a guide or support for the connecting-rod.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wire-stretcher, the combination,with a bar having two opposite and alternating ratchets, of a slide-plate moving on said bar, alever having its fulcrum upon said slideplate and in the central line of the bar, pawls pivoted upon said lever and engaging with the opposite ratchets, and a draw-rod attached to the slide in the same line with the lever-fulcrum and having support in the extreme end of the ratchet-bar, substantially as described.

2. In a wire-stretcher, a clamp mounted upon one end of a bar having opposite ratchets, in combination with a clamp attached to bar and carrying one end of the draw-rod, a support for its opposite extremity upon the end of the ratchet-bar, and an operating-lever and pawls, substantially as described.

3. A wire-stretcher composed of a bar having opposite alternating ratchets, a slide moving thereon and having projections or fulcra, a lever pivoted to said slide and carrying pawls which are thrown into engagement with the opposite ratchets by the fulcra upon the slide, a draw-rod connected to the latter, an attaching-chain connected to one end of the ratchet-bar, and wire-clamps attached to the latter and to the draw-rod, substantially as described.

ANDREW J. UPHAM.

Witnesses:

JOHN B. WHALEN, FRANK WINDERs. 

